Roe v. Wade at 40: Then and Now

In 1973, I was an optimistic young person about the way things seemed to be moving on women’s rights, especially with regard to making our own health decisions. 1973 was the year the Supreme Court handed down the decision Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed that states could not deny women the right to have an abortion.

What did the news reports about that landmark ruling look like 40 years ago? Have a watch:

The truly interesting tidbit is this — for the first time, a majority of Americans favor a woman’s right to choose. There has always been a larger percentage of those polled who favor choice over outlawing abortion, but according to a new poll, for the first time in 40 years a majority of Americans favor the legalization of abortion by the states, even as restrictions grow and become more onerous on American women.